Moyes confident of European success

Tuesday 15 January 2008 00:02 BST

David Moyes believes his Everton side are maturing in Europe and capable of winning the UEFA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League.

If Everton complete the job against Brann at Goodison Park on Thursday after a 2-0 win in Norway this week, they face the winners of the Rosenborg v Fiorentina tie, with the Italians 1-0 up from the first leg.

Moyes said: "We have the squad to win the UEFA Cup and qualify for the Champions League. I do not see it as a choice, nobody can pick the one they want."

He added: "Our squad is good enough. We have coped recently with a lot of players missing and we are still in fourth spot in the league."

His words will be tested to the limit if Everton improve on a stunning run of six successive European victories next week, a record for the club and the Toffees' boss.

He said: "I'm told that six wins on the trot is a record in Europe for an Everton manager, and that makes me proud.

"But it is the next six games that are the most important, but even that will not be enough to get to the final of this competition, it goes on and on.

"There is still a lot of work to be done but we are getting near the juicy part of the tournament, even if the UEFA Cup seems to go on forever."

To win the UEFA Cup, Everton would have successfully negotiated 15 European matches, a mammoth task. And they dare not ease up in their final 12 Premier League games or fourth spot will be lost.

It is the most testing time of Moyes' near six years as manager at Goodison, but he added of their European run: "We are growing into this tournament. We did not hurt Bergen enough early on, and there is always an element of fear over two-legged ties."